Going in to this movie, I wasn't really expecting much, so in that sense the movie delivered on its promise. But the synopsis, while simple enough, made me think it would at least be a bit entertaining. Not so much. It was like painting a room beige: nothing wrong with it exactly, but not really satisfying either. The coffee shop set is actually the best part of the movie, it looks like every coffee shop should look. But there are several things that just made this unsatisfying. The characters were so stereotyped that they looked like they stepped onto the stage of a high school play. The plot was simple to the point of being uninteresting. If so many people would show up for Donovan's fundraiser and tribute then why didn't she have more customers so her shop wouldn't be in financial trouble in the first place? At the tribute supposedly everyone was going on and on about her good qualities as a person, but at no time in the movie were any of these actually displayed through her actions. She was obviously lip-synching during the song, but my real pet peeve about this movie was this: the movie took place in a small town in Alabama (you could read the state name on the top of her foreclosure notice) yet not one single person in the whole movie had a southern accent. Not a single one. It could have just as easily taken place in Iowa except for the oceanfront scenes. That isn't really a small detail, it just fits in with the whole feel of the movie, one that looks like it didn't really try too hard to put any depth into the plot. And there was the kernel of a good plot there, but it was wasted. I would not advise spending time watching this unless you are having trouble falling asleep.
Review of Coffee Shop
